Cuomo weighs in on federal greenhouse gas lawsuit

After the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would start controlling greenhouse gas emissions in 2011, fossil-fuel dependent industries launched a lawsuit to block it.

Today, New York State is among a 13-state coalition that is lining up to support the EPA, according to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

The new EPA rule is aimed at large facilities, such as power plants, cement kilns, and oil refineries, that account for 70 percent of the greenhouse gases from stationary sources.

Per the AG’s press release: “New York is leading a coalition of states from around the country to defend common-sense regulations that will protect our country’s health and well-being from global warming pollution,” said Cuomo.

The states joining New York in the motion are: California, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.